I may finally have an XJ!

[johndoby]

After nearly a month of searching, I think I've finally found the one! Nearly 500 miles away, but I found one none-the-less. I'm sure I'm going to be criticized because it isn't 4x4...but 2wd's need love too! Besides, this one is going to be my daily driver/canoe hauler. If I love it as much as I think I will, I'll probably end up getting an older beater 4x4 to play with. It's in pretty impressive shape, with low miles...64k to be exact. I paid a deposit on it, but I'm waiting on an accident report and third party inspection. It showed an accident on the Carfax, so I'm having it checked out. Clear title though, and no frame damage on the report. Wish me luck!

Also, does anyone know what the rust marks around the perimeter of these steelies might have come from? I was worried that it might have been marks from balancing weights where they were continuously unable to balance the wheels, but then I noticed that they were too uniform to be that. I have seen the cheesy chrome covers for steel wheels...is it likely that it could have been caused by something like that?

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Yup, marks are from those chrome wheel covers.

 

[RTicUL8]

Looks like the front clip might of have been repainted.
It's not often you see one that purdy.

 

[WI88XJ]

Who cares if it's only 2wd. Do you like it? Besides, it's one of the easiest conversions to 4wd there is if you change your mind down the road.

Very nice rig!

 

[Joshooha]

Looks like the front clip might of have been repainted.
It's not often you see one that purdy.

It may have been...no Jeep emblem on the front.

 

[CherBear]

It may have been...no Jeep emblem on the front.

Very possible, look for rust around the edges of the front clip.

 

[wolfpackjeeper]

Very possible, look for rust around the edges of the front clip.

what, pray tell, is going to rust on the front clip?

 

[johndoby]

Thanks for all of the comments. I got the accident report back today, and the front clip was indeed painted, or at very least the front grill, bumper.

Basically someone made a left turn and didnt yield, resulting in a front end collision at fairly low speed. The damage rating is FD-3, which stands for broad (not concentrated) damage to the front end, 3 being the severity (out of 7). The airbags did not deploy, so I'm thinking damage was not severe. The accident concerns me, but I've decided that if everything checks out with the inspector that I'm ok with it. I've owned plenty vehicles with front end repair that were good as new afterwards and I'm not going to miss a good deal because of that.

By the way, I am paying $4800 plus dealer fees and such. That's the best price on an XJ with low mileage that I've seen, especially in this condition.

 

[CherBear]

what, pray tell, is going to rust on the front clip?

Lol im just giving him a hard time.

In all seriousness, its a very nice looking XJ. Have fun with it.

 

[johndoby]

Anyone have any suggestions on common problems I can have the inspector check for?

 

[srmitchell]

2WD+accident = price is too high.

You man not see damage now, but theres a good chance that theres some hidden wrinkles or tweaked stuff up front.

Just fyi.

 

[johndoby]

2WD+accident = price is too high.

You man not see damage now, but theres a good chance that theres some hidden wrinkles or tweaked stuff up front.

Just fyi.

Everyone keeps telling me the prices I'm seeing are too high...unfortunately, I haven't seen anything even remotely close to this price with that mileage. I've looked literally hundreds of Jeeps from Florida to California. If you know of something, please let me know. Thanks a ton for the input. Keep it coming! The more I get, the easier it is to make a decision.

 

[pikey77]

Dang thats nice looking. I love that color.

At any rate some things i wish I had checked on mine before I bought it.

Rust.

Depending on where the things located may be a major issue.
Check the rain rails. Especially the corners for bubbling. The bottoms of doors and hatch where the outer skin wraps over the inner skin. This seem will start to show it sooner than anything. Underneath it should be pretty obvious if there is a problem.

2. Interior.

It looks very clean but really smell it. My buddy bought a car that was super clean but the previous owner was a smoker and after the cleaning chemicals wore off it stunk like smoke for almost a year before it wore off.

Also look at the mounting points on the front seat to floor pan. If there rusted it may be proof that it spent some time in the rust belt.

Open all the doors and check to make sure both front and rear dome lights come on. Should not come on with the hatch open.

Look at headliner for staining. Shine a flashlight on it so you can see it better.

Mechanical

1. Engine see if there are any service records with the vehicle for oil changes etc. Also when you go to drive it...drive it. On the highway and get it warmed up. Then come to a stop and park it and let it idle for a while to make sure that the temp isn't gonna spike on you. Should stay near 210 at idle....mine sits about 1/2 needle above. Check oil for milky color, this might indicate a coolant leak.

2. Transmission see if any records and look at fluid. Even more important if it has a tow hitch on it already as it may have been abused towing.

Other than that general MX stuff. Battery if its ever been replaced, general condition of hoses, wiring etc.......

If you can take a scan tool with you to see if they've recently reset codes that would be a huge plus!

Best bet is to see if they would be willing to run it by a jeep dealer and have them inspect it. Should be independent and wouldn't cost much. Probably do it before you come down that way you dont waste the cash.

I would say its not a great deal and you may be paying a little much because of the accident but if it is in good shape and you want it then grab it. I've owned several vehicles that have been in multiple accidents and if the repair was good there were no problems. Go in there and beat them up on it. Point out the wheels, lack of emblem on the front etc...

I wouldn't fret the 2wd much. I'd say 99% of XJ owners and JEEP people in general dont use 4wd on a regular basis if ever.

Also if you want a set of those crappy chrome wheel covers I think i still have a set!

 

[johndoby]

Thanks Pike. Im guessing you decided not to sell yours?

 

[pikey77]

yah. Meant to email you about it but completely forgot with some things going on around here.

I think I'm gonna end up hanging on to it at least until the economy turns around.

Good luck man!

 

[kastein]

I drove around with no front emblem for a year after my accident - then a C4C vehicle of exactly the same paint code and model year showed up in the junkyard. I swooped in and bought the header panel and both front fenders, all I had to do was some masking tape, fine sandpapering, priming, and painting + double faced tape to put my Sport lower trim on instead of the junker's Classic trim. Looks stock again... except for a few inches of lightly crumpled (and straightened) inner fender right at the front edge where the header panel and fender bolt on. In short, unless you pulled the header panel off, you wouldn't know it had ever been in an accident...

Inspect carefully. Check the steel brake lines for rust (can't harp on that one enough.) DEFINITELY check for the rust around the front seat mounting bolts, that's an excellent suggestion. Make sure you are looking at the radiator fins not the AC condensor fins when you inspect to see if you're going to have to replace it. Check the wiring harnesses for corrosion, make sure the rear shock frame end bolts haven't been munged up by someone else - or worse, the rear shocks welded to the frame because the last guy broke the bolts.

 

[johndoby]

Ok, so I had it inspected by a third party service. Here is a brief report:

1) Interior is excellent...only flaw is a coffee or coke stain underneath the driver's seat.

2) Window lock is broken. Driver's controls are fully operational..."paper clip trick" will fix.

3) Collision damage was good structurally. Airbags did not deploy. Both bumper brackets, bumper, fender panel, header and hood were replaced. According to the inspector, the body work was excellent, but the paint was subpar. Some fisheyes, blemishes, etc.

4) Mechanically, the report was great. The only marks against it were a leaky valve cover gasket, leaky transmission pan gasket, and the differential was leaking around the fill plug.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

If I get the dealership to fix the fluid leaks, do you guys think this is worth $4800? Remember, 2001, 2WD, 64k miles, PW, PL, CD.

If not, FIND ME A BETTER DEAL! I want an XJ so bad! :helpme:

 

[$700later]

i have a 2wd xj with the 4.0, my mpg's aren't really any better than the 4x4 xjs. i get around 18-21. that thing looks like its in great shape and it's low on miles...but $4800??? i just don't see it. you could find a solid 4x4 xj with say around 100k miles (or less) for that price.

then again cherokee's don't seem to be that hard to find around here in TN, maybe they are cheaper in my neck of the woods.

anyway, i only bought my 2wd cause it was from a family member and was only $1500, its a scratced up '97 with 175k and runs like new.

i also have a '94 4x4, i have yet to find any "pros" to having a 2wd xj, same on gas, same power.

 

[pikey77]

4800 bucks for a car you can plan on driving for the next 4 or 5 years for with standard MX seems like a good deal to me.

Throw a 2inch lift on it and call it f'ing perfect. If you find yourself wanting a 4wd you can prolly do it for less than 2000 easy or just throw a locker in the back and be awesome.

 

[johndoby]

i have a 2wd xj with the 4.0, my mpg's aren't really any better than the 4x4 xjs. i get around 18-21. that thing looks like its in great shape and it's low on miles...but $4800??? i just don't see it. you could find a solid 4x4 xj with say around 100k miles (or less) for that price.

then again cherokee's don't seem to be that hard to find around here in TN, maybe they are cheaper in my neck of the woods.

anyway, i only bought my 2wd cause it was from a family member and was only $1500, its a scratced up '97 with 175k and runs like new.

i also have a '94 4x4, i have yet to find any "pros" to having a 2wd xj, same on gas, same power.

I've been looking nationally, including Tennessee, and have come up with squadoosh. I'm wondering if some of you purchased your XJ's in a better market, or if you may be less picky about the condition, but I have yet to find anything as cheap as this. I've searched eBay, Craigslist, Oodle, cars.com, Autotrader & several forums daily for the past month. Where are all these deals everyone keeps talking about? 4x4's with low mileage are going for a minimum of $6500. Most are between $7500 and $10000. I swear I am going insane. I need a break, haha.